1 flood insurance claims·$769 paid·1 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Custer County, Colorado. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Flash flooding from slow-moving summer thunderstorms dominates the flood risk in Custer County, accounting for 23 of the 30 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 7 general flood events.
Monsoonal moisture and atmospheric instability frequently trigger heavy rainfall over the high country and eastern mountains. For example, on July 22, 2019, slow-moving storms near Westcliffe dropped nearly 3.5 inches of rain within 90 minutes, while subsequent storms produced rock slides and debris flows near the Junkins burn scar and San Isabel National Forest. Similar heavy rainfall and flash flooding were reported along the eastern mountains on July 21, 2021, and July 25, 2021, driven by active thunderstorm development over the region.
Historically, the National Flood Insurance Program has recorded limited formal claims in Custer County, with a single claim logged in Zone A resulting in an average payout of $769 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located near mountain slopes, burn scars, and the eastern mountain corridors where localized summer cloudbursts create rapid runoff and debris flow hazards.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
7 NOAA storm reports from Custer County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Colorado flood stories →
12 federal disaster declarations since 1999, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Junkins Fire | Oct 17, 2016 |
| Wetmore Fire | Oct 23, 2012 |
| Duckett Fire | Jun 15, 2011 |
| Snow | Dec 18, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Mason Fire | Jul 8, 2005 |
| Snow | Mar 17, 2003 |
| Cuerno Verde Fire | Apr 30, 2002 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
30 since 1996: 23 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 25, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 21, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 22, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 8, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 15, 2018 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 25, 2021. Another active period across southern Colorado on this day, with showers and thunderstorms observed over much of the area. The eastern mountain and I-25 corridor interface was a location with more widespread development, especially along the Highway 50 corridor. In this area, heavy rainfall with flooding, large hail, and damaging winds were observed.
Flash Flood · Jul 21, 2021. An abundance of moisture and instability, focus for thunderstorm development over and near the mountains, and slow moving storms all supported heavy rainfall with flash flooding. Multiple reports were noted along the eastern mountains.
Flash Flood · Jul 22, 2019. Monsoonal airmass was in place during the afternoon and evening of July 22, 2019 allowing for heavy showers and storms to develop over the high country and slowly move towards the east-southeast. A few of the storms near Westcliffe merged and became nearly stationary producing close to 3.5 inches of rain within 90 minutes. ||Storms that developed east of Westcliffe moved southeast towards the Junkins burn scar and…
Flash Flood · Aug 8, 2019. During the afternoon and evening hours of August 8, 2019, ample monsoonal flow pushed into the high terrain of the Rampart Range and the Wet Mountains. Rather slow moving heavy rain storms developed and eventually pushed off towards the east across the Front Range and eventually onto the eastern Colorado plains. ||Heavy rain, large hail, damaging winds, flash flooding, and even a tornado were all reported during t…
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Custer County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.